Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Food Production Engineering - University of Gothenburg
Seattle, WA 98114
About the Job
A great opportunity to be involved in transdisciplinary engineering research applied to aquatic food production
Collaborate with international research groups and innovate with academic and industry partners
Improve controlled environment aquatic food production processes to reduce wastes, recycle and conserve water, recover nutrients and energy
Controlled environment aquatic (CEA) food production systems provide resilient farm-to-table supplies of nutritious food under diverse climatic conditions. One example of CEA is aquaponics, that combines aquaculture fish production with greenhouse hydroponic vegetable production so farmers can harvest two marketable foods and conserve water by recirculating it in a closed system. Aquaponic systems integrate microbial biofilters between aquaculture and hydroponic units to recover nutrients from fish wastes and convert them to bioavailable forms for uptake by plants. Such systems are climate-controlled, and integrating renewable energy sources - wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric - can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels for pumping, aeration, heating and cooling.
The postdoctoral position is part of an international project to improve productivity of CEA systems with precision farming tools that require contributions of a broad range of engineering and biotechnology skills. Sensors that monitor critical CEA physicochemical variables are commercially available, but decision support systems (DSS) and biofeedback loops need to be developed that can provide operators with timely feedback to maintain balanced system functionality. DSS should facilitate efficient production and be simple enough to understand and troubleshoot by without extensive training or experience. Outputs need to augment operators' knowledge and insights about optimizing production conditions while contributing to savings in resources, time, and labour.
We seek candidates who are motivated to work with teams of industry and academic partners on innovative CEA automated designs that conserve water, energy, and nutrients to meet regional and national resource sustainability goals.
Research project objectives
There is latitude in this project to match research objectives to a candidate's skills and interests. Examples:
Co-design the integration of biomethane production from solid waste treatments to conserve energy and provide essential heating and cooling of water and air within the circular system
Integrate sensor outputs for aquatic parameters such as pH, turbidity, temperature, O2-CO2 concentrations with programmable automation controllers that adjust flow rates and nutrient dosing
Couple CEA systems with a digital twin for continuous and simultaneous sensor monitoring
Use machine learning to model favourable environmental parameters for each aquaponic unit and for the functional system as a whole
Create operational protocols that favour minimal aquaponic system perturbations and correlate with desirable biological growth parameters for fish and plant crop pairs in lab and commercial facilities
Other research ideas by discussion with academic supervisor
What we offer
While the exact start date for the position is negotiable, a start date of December 1, 2023 is desirable. The position not only comes with a competitive salary but also includes
Swedish national health service benefits
Business travel insurance
Paid vacation leave
World travel and global connections
This is a 2-year postdoctoral employment contract with possibility for renewal. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, the work involves international travel and periods abroad in CEA industrial facilities and academic laboratories.
To apply:
To apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, create an account in our recruitment system. Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal by clicking the "Apply" button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline of
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $ 90,000.00 Per Year
Collaborate with international research groups and innovate with academic and industry partners
Improve controlled environment aquatic food production processes to reduce wastes, recycle and conserve water, recover nutrients and energy
Controlled environment aquatic (CEA) food production systems provide resilient farm-to-table supplies of nutritious food under diverse climatic conditions. One example of CEA is aquaponics, that combines aquaculture fish production with greenhouse hydroponic vegetable production so farmers can harvest two marketable foods and conserve water by recirculating it in a closed system. Aquaponic systems integrate microbial biofilters between aquaculture and hydroponic units to recover nutrients from fish wastes and convert them to bioavailable forms for uptake by plants. Such systems are climate-controlled, and integrating renewable energy sources - wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric - can reduce their dependence on fossil fuels for pumping, aeration, heating and cooling.
The postdoctoral position is part of an international project to improve productivity of CEA systems with precision farming tools that require contributions of a broad range of engineering and biotechnology skills. Sensors that monitor critical CEA physicochemical variables are commercially available, but decision support systems (DSS) and biofeedback loops need to be developed that can provide operators with timely feedback to maintain balanced system functionality. DSS should facilitate efficient production and be simple enough to understand and troubleshoot by without extensive training or experience. Outputs need to augment operators' knowledge and insights about optimizing production conditions while contributing to savings in resources, time, and labour.
We seek candidates who are motivated to work with teams of industry and academic partners on innovative CEA automated designs that conserve water, energy, and nutrients to meet regional and national resource sustainability goals.
Research project objectives
There is latitude in this project to match research objectives to a candidate's skills and interests. Examples:
Co-design the integration of biomethane production from solid waste treatments to conserve energy and provide essential heating and cooling of water and air within the circular system
Integrate sensor outputs for aquatic parameters such as pH, turbidity, temperature, O2-CO2 concentrations with programmable automation controllers that adjust flow rates and nutrient dosing
Couple CEA systems with a digital twin for continuous and simultaneous sensor monitoring
Use machine learning to model favourable environmental parameters for each aquaponic unit and for the functional system as a whole
Create operational protocols that favour minimal aquaponic system perturbations and correlate with desirable biological growth parameters for fish and plant crop pairs in lab and commercial facilities
Other research ideas by discussion with academic supervisor
What we offer
While the exact start date for the position is negotiable, a start date of December 1, 2023 is desirable. The position not only comes with a competitive salary but also includes
Swedish national health service benefits
Business travel insurance
Paid vacation leave
World travel and global connections
This is a 2-year postdoctoral employment contract with possibility for renewal. Based in Gothenburg, Sweden, the work involves international travel and periods abroad in CEA industrial facilities and academic laboratories.
To apply:
To apply for a position at the University of Gothenburg, create an account in our recruitment system. Submit your application via the University of Gothenburg's recruitment portal by clicking the "Apply" button. It is your responsibility to ensure that the application is complete as per the vacancy notice, and that the University receives it by the final application deadline of
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary: $ 90,000.00 Per Year
Source : University of Gothenburg